Samsung Galaxy Alpha will have 720p screen

Samsung has been rumoured to be working on smartphones made from metal, rather than plastic, for some time, but today we got our first real look at what a metal Galaxy handset might look like. Leaked images purportedly showing the unannounced Galaxy Alpha have revealed a more premium appearance that could finally put Samsung alongside Apple and HTC in terms of smartphone build quality and high-end materials – but only a 720p screen.

The images, first published by Sammobile and apparently coming from a “trusted source”, show the Galaxy Alpha side-by-side with the Galaxy S5. The former has a 4.7in screen, making it significantly smaller than the S5’s 5.1in display. With squarer corners and a thinner profile, the Galaxy Alpha is expected to launch as a direct competitor to Apple’s iPhone. It’s perhaps no coincidence then that 4.7in is the exact same size as the panel Apple is rumoured to be using for the upcoming iPhone 6.

Other than the aluminium frame, Samsung appears to have moved the speaker from the rear of the handset to the bottom edge, and shifted the LED flash/heart rate sensor from underneath the camera sensor to the side. Otherwise, the metal Galaxy Alpha appears to share the same overall design as the Galaxy S5.

Despite being shown in detail, the source doesn’t mention internal hardware specifications so we’re left with mere rumours for now. Not to be confused with the rumoured Galaxy S5 Prime, the Galaxy Alpha will likely arrive with a 720p AMOLED screen, up to 32GB of internal storage but no SD card support, and the same 13-megapixel camera as the one found in the Galaxy S5 – essentially, just enough to compete directly with Apple’s rumoured iPhone 6.

It’s possible the Galaxy Alpha will see a limited release in Samsung’s native Korea, as a second leak to Vietnamese tech blog Tinh Te show the handset with an LTE-A logo on the back. It may contain Samsung’s newly announced Exynos ModAP processor, which supports 150 Mbps LTE-A speeds, or instead rely on Qualcomm internals.

According to the report the handset is due to be officially revealed in August, so we shouldn’t have too long to wait to find out if the leaks are accurate.